In the practice of dentistry, it is necessary for most, if not all, procedures to manipulate within the patient's mouth various kinds of instruments to carry out particular operations according to the procedure being executed. One notable example of such an operation is the cleaning or prophylaxis of the teeth which should be periodically performed for proper dental hygiene to remove from the teeth plaque, tartar or calculus and other matter that collects on tooth surfaces especially in the vicinity of the gum line. This matter if left undisturbed can readily lead to the formation of dental cavities or worse conditions in the mouth, such as gingivitis and periodontitis.
As is commonly known, the cleaning procedure involves the scaling or scraping away of such matter that has adhered on surfaces of the teeth, especially those in the vicinity of the gum line and in intra-proximal regions. For this purpose, a dental hygienic technician or the dentist utilizes scalers, scrapers or picks shaped at their operative ends in various configurations designed to achieve the necessary scraping and cleaning action.
As the cleaning proceeds, these scalers or picks inevitably collect at their operative ends the plaque or other debris removed from the teeth. Consequentially, the end of the instrument must at frequent intervals be freed of this debris so that further cleaning can proceed readily without interference by the accumulated debris on the cleaning action of the instrument or obstruction of the field of view of the practitioner of the site being cleaned.
Typical dental chairs are equipped with instrument trays mounted on articulated and pivotable arms permitting the tray to be positioned at a location relative to the operator and patient affording convenient access to various instruments and the like placed thereon for use in cleaning. For ridding the end of the cleaning instrument of the accumulated debris, there is ordinarily placed loosely on this tray a paper tissue, gauze pad or other absorbent wiping material with which the operator can when needed wipe the instrument end free of adherent matter. Displacing the instrument from the patient's mouth to the tray or bringing the wiping material from the tray to the instrument end even when the tray is nearby involves rather awkward motions, and in any case either wiping motion takes a certain finite amount of time that when considered in the aggregate prolongs the prophylaxis. Also, the wiping tissue must generally be held stationary by the practitioner with the free hand while the other hand brings the instrument into wiping contact which causes the operator's attention to be distracted from the precise site in the mouth receiving treatment. Hence, when cleaning is resumed, the practitioner must recall the site at which the procedure was interrupted and begin again.
Of no less importance is the need to bring the instrument point into close proximity with the practitioner's unprotected hand holding the wiping medium, thereby introducing a significant risk of the occurrence of an "instrument stick", i.e. penetration of the skin of the holding hand by the point of the instrument. Certain dental cleaning instruments have quite sharp points or edges which are readily capable of penetrating the skin. Since the advent and wide-spread dissemination of "AIDS", i.e. "Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome", with its high fatality rate, much attention in the health care professions has been given to the avoidance of so-called "needle sticks", i.e. the penetration of the skin of medical professionals by the sharp points of hypodermic needles and the like used in the administration of medicaments to patients either at the time of administration or subsequently in the disposal of the needles.
It is now common knowledge that such needle or instrument sticks can result in the transmission to the medical professional of serious diseases carried by the patients, including AIDS, hepatitis A, B and C, and so on, all of which are known to be present in oral mucous as well as in blood serum and other bodily fluids. Thus, viruses or bacteria from dental patients can be bourn by debris, mucous, etc. collected on the ends of cleaning instruments and transmitted to practitioner by accidental pricking or scratching of the skin with potentially serious consequences. Any measure for reducing the opportunity for casual instrument sticks in the dental field would be highly desirable.
The same considerations with attendant risks obviously apply to other dental procedures including endodontic and periodontal procedures, filling of teeth and the like employing files, reamers, probes, drills and other instruments which become coated with mucous or blood during the procedure and likewise require wiping or cleaning from time to time.
In a less serious vein, it is frequently necessary for the practitioner to hold the handle of an angled mirror in the "other" hand while the "one" hand is manipulating an operative instrument in order to achieve through reflection a better view of the site in the mouth being treated. Such mirrors inevitably collect moisture and "fog over" from the high humidity environment of the mouth and require periodic wiping to restore a clear view. Up until now, the mirror surface has been wiped in basically the same manner as for working instruments (other than the difference in hands) which interrupts the concentration of the practitioner and consumes valuable time. Here also, it would be advantageous to have a wiping medium available in an immediately accessible location.